Gary the goat 1; cops nil

Last December we brought you the story of comedian ‘Jimbo Bazoobi’ and his pet goat ‘Gary’ who were summonsed over an incident in Sydney when Gary the goat was sprung eating grass in a park.  After a great deal of argument at the time, during which the police were unable to think up a law that was broken, they e=were allowed to leave. 

Subsequently ‘Jimbo’ was informed that he would be facing charges of damaging vegetation.  Under some of the new green laws, the cops could raise a lot of revenue out in the rural areas where animals eat vegetation all the time, but then city people tend to believe that butchers make meat. 

The case has now been tossed out: 

A Sydney magistrate has dismissed charges against a man whose goat was accused of damaging vegetation at Circular Quay last year.  The courtroom at times erupted into fits of giggles at today's hearing in the Downing Centre. 

Police fined Jim Dezarnaulds $440 last August, saying he allowed his goat Gary to eat plants and flowers at the Museum of Contemporary Art.  He was charged with destroying vegetation without authority.  News of Gary the Goat's run-in with the law went viral after Mr Dezarnaulds posted the incident on Facebook, attracting more than 300,000 likes. 

Before the case was heard, Mr Dezarnaulds - a performer who goes by the name of Jimbo - wrote to The Rocks police asking for the case to be dropped.  In the letter he also thanked them for "helping me out with my career as comedian". 

After a lively hearing this morning, the magistrate dismissed the charge, saying Mr Dezarnaulds "had no control over what the goat might eat, he might have preferred an ice cream". 

Outside court, Mr Dezarnaulds says Gary has taught police a lesson.  "This is actually an abuse of the laws of nature, I mean it was a goat eating grass," he said. 

"I'm a comedian, I can come up with jokes, but it's pretty hard to compete with cops coming up with this stuff.  "It's obviously a joke, but the fact that we're here it's gone a bit beyond a joke." 

There is now speculation that an unfortunate mishap outside court may lead Gary to be charged with public urination.

There are far too many mindlessly stupid laws in this country, far too mindlessly stupidly enforced by far too many mindlessly stupid police and bureaucrats.  Rather than simply protecting the public against coercive acts by others, the law has become the lash used to enforce the mindlessly stupid prejudices of the wowser class, the killjoys, and the busybodies.